Ramblings of a modern druidess

Category Archives: Booktrope

I’ve had a weird couple of weeks, with amazing ups and downs. My ‘American family’ came over for a visit and I was so happy to see them again and spend some quality time with them. I showed them around Loevestein, Gorinchem, the Deltawerken and Middelburg. We went for pancakes, shared a bun of smoked eel, had some stroopwafels (obviously) and they even tried our famous raw herring. Well, some of them tried 😉

Healthwise it was also ups and downs. I was told by my doctor my blood pressure was way too high (we found out purely by routine check, I came for a frontal sinusitis), so I was put on medication straight away.Thankfully the little pill helped. I just went for my first check-up and it was just perfect. Mind you, stuck with the stomach flu, but that should pass within 48 hours, the good doctor told me. It did. I felt much, much better this morning. Until I opened my mail.

My publisher, Booktrope, is going out of business by the end of May. I still can’t believe it. So many authors, editors, designers, proofreaders, managers, all out of a job. So many books, now in limbo. We’ll be given a more detailed update this Monday and I really hope this will bring some other options for the future as well.

This night the bonfires will burn, as it will be Beltane night. A time of fertility, of fire, of passion. I’m going to reach for that fire and passion inside of me to make sure my books will survive. I know I can, I know I’m not in this alone. How it’s all going to turn out, I do not know yet, but that’s okay. I have faith. In my own abilities and in that of others.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful people who have helped me at Booktrope and are still helping me. Elizabeth Flynn, Marisa Chenery, Pam Elise Harris, Rhianna Davies, Lisa Gilliam, you ladies rock! Most of them have their own company and I highly recommend their services!

If it’s up to me, The Empath will still see the light of day Halloween 2016. Come hell or high water, I’ll make it work! Wishing you al a magical Beltane night, may it be filled with love, hope and passion.

Today is cover reveal time for my good and amazing barefoot author friend – Stewart Bint. He is funny, caring, a brilliant autbor (many of his books scared the living daylights out of me) and very supportive to other authors, including humble little me.

Booktrope are shortly publishing a revised edition of Stewart Bint’s time travel novel, Timeshaft…and here’s a sneak preview of the dazzling new cover created by Booktrope designer Troy Johnson. Originally published on Smashwords in 2013, the new edition features a new beginning and ending, along with a number of new scenes.

Blurb

By the twenty-seventh century, mankind has finally mastered time travel—and is driving recklessly towards wiping itself out. The guerilla environmentalist group WorldSave, with its chief operative Ashday’s Child, uses the Timeshaft to correct mistakes of the past in an effort to extend the life of the planet.But the enigmatic Ashday’s Child has his own destiny to accomplish, and will do whatever it takes within a complicated web of paradoxes to do so. While his destiny—and very existence—is challenged from the beginning to the end of time, he must collect the key players through the ages to create the very Timeshaft itself.

“Do our actions as time travellers change what would otherwise have happened, or is everything already laid down in a predetermined plan?” he asks. Stewart Bint’s Timeshaft is an expertly synchronized saga of time travel, the irresistible force of destiny, and the responsibility of mankind as rulers of the world.

Stewart Bint Stewart Bint is a novelist, magazine columnist and PR writer. He lives with his wife, Sue, in Leicestershire, in the UK, and has two grown-up children, Christopher and Charlotte.

He is a former radio presenter, newsreader and phone-in show host, but always wanted to become a fiction writer — a dream that came true when his first novel was published in 2012 at the age of 56. Now the author of five novels, a collection of short stories and a compilation of his early magazine columns, he was signed by Booktrope in 2015, who published a revised edition of his paranormal novel, In Shadows Waiting, in August.

They are publishing a revised and re-edited edition of Timeshaft shortly.

As a member of a local barefoot hiking group, when not writing he can often be found hiking in bare feet on woodland trails and urban streets.

The brand new edition of dystopian, psychological thriller The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain will be re-released on December 11th. Originally published in May 2014, this new Booktrope edition has had a complete editing overhaul plus a stunning new cover design.

The book will be available to buy from a wide range of digital and paperback distributors, including Amazon:

Britain has descended into chaos as violence and terrorist attacks seethe across this once-peaceful country. Outraged by the steady stream of lawlessness, citizens demand a harsher penal system, and the Phoenix Project is born.

In prisons across the country, inmates fight to the death in a weekly bloodbath while the nation cheers them on.

Raven Kennedy, a prisoner who has never forgiven himself for his unspeakable crime, struggles against his own guilt and self-loathing. But even as the real war wages on within himself, Raven is forced to battle some of the prison’s most ruthless killing machines. Can he survive long enough to unravel the anger and regret that shackle him—and one day find the forgiveness he seeks?

‘The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain is a superbly written debut, soaked in tension and intrigue,’ Jack Croxall, author of the ‘Tethers’ trilogy.

An interesting fact about The Phoenix Project: The horrifying ‘dark room’ in The Phoenix Project (a pitch-black sensory deprivation cell) was inspired by D.M. Cain’s visit to the Terror Haza in Budapest—a museum dedicated to the fascistic and communistic regimes that operated from the building. In the cellar of the Terror Haza are the old cells used to imprison and torture inmates. D.M. crawled inside a very low cell and shut the door, casting herself into total darkness. It was terrifying and claustrophobic, and she only lasted five minutes in there!

Special treat!!!!!
Listen to DM Cain as she reads from the first chapter of The Phoenix Project! D.M. Cain Biography
D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for US publisher Booktrope. She has released three novels: The Phoenix Project – a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future, Soren – a middle-grade fantasy, and A Chronicle of Chaos – the first in a dark fantasy series. She is currently working on the next novel in the series, ‘The Shield of Soren’, and a novella to accompany it.

D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and is one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors. Her short story ‘The End’ was published in Awethology Dark – an anthology by the #Awethors.

Britain has descended into chaos as violence and terrorist attacks seethe across this once-peaceful country. Outraged by the steady stream of lawlessness, citizens demand a harsher penal system, and the Phoenix Project is born.

In prisons across the country, inmates fight to the death in a weekly bloodbath while the nation cheers them on.

Raven Kennedy, a prisoner who has never forgiven himself for his unspeakable crime, struggles against his own guilt and self-loathing. But even as the real war wages on within himself, Raven is forced to battle some of the prison’s most ruthless killing machines. Can he survive long enough to unravel the anger and regret that shackle him—and one day find the forgiveness he seeks?

‘The Phoenix Project by D.M. Cain is a superbly written debut, soaked in tension and intrigue,’ Jack Croxall, author of the ‘Tethers’ trilogy.

D.M. Cain Biography

D.M. Cain is a dystopian and fantasy author working for US publisher Booktrope. She has released two full length novels: The Phoenix Project – a psychological thriller set in a dystopian future, and A Chronicle of Chaos – the first in a dark fantasy series. She is currently working on the next novel in the series – ‘The Shield of Soren’ and a novella to accompany it.

D.M. Cain is also a member of the International Thriller Writers and is one of the creators and administrators of the online author group #Awethors.

Cain lives in Leicestershire, UK with her husband and young son, and spends her time reading, writing and reviewing books, playing RPGs and listening to symphonic metal.

Want to hear all about it from the woman herself? Click here for her video message!

So this entire weekend is #Awethors weekend. Yesterday twitter and facebook both exploded with the awethor-logo and posts using the hashtag #awethors It was wonderful to see, though I’m sure some of my facebook friends who could care less when I write my next book, were slightly annoyed with all the #awethors posts. My apologies. Just one more day and then everything will be back to normal. We can all enjoy another round of food, cat and dog spam 😉 And just a heads-up, this is going to be a very long blog, with lots of authors being mentioned, so if that’s not your thing, you might as well give up now.

Still reading? Nice, but remember, there actually is an ‘I told you so dance’. Fair warning.
It all started on April 12, when we held the first Get Down With The Awethors event. Well, in truth, it started before that, but this was the first big event we hosted as a group. It was an amazing day and a very long day. I was both ecstatic and exhausted.
I met so many wonderful people since I took my first baby steps in the world of writing.

Jack Croxall, author of The Tethers Trilogy and Wye, was there at the beginning. Always willing to give me feedback and guide me on my way. His writing has inspired me to step out of my comfort zone and write my first short-story.

Holly Martin, author of The Sentinel Series and One Hundred Proposals, is another author who I could rely on for solid advice and a friendly word. Even now she’s a best-selling author, she still finds the time to connect. Such a friendly spirit.

Then there are the two ladies who expanded my own reading. Natasha Ahmed and Michelle Diana Lowe. Strong women who are not afraid to write about cultural differences and the problems we have and face in today’s society. Butterfly Season and Unshatter Me both took my breath away. Natasha’s blog Dear Rumi is really something else and Michelle is just the epitome of love. She’s got such a big heart.

Mikey Campling, a very talented author and always the gentleman, helped me on my way with the do’s and don’ts on twitter and how to present yourself to the public. He has some very helpful thoughts on this topic. His series, The Darkeningstone, is mind-blowing. And did I mention on sale the next couple of days.

Last, but certainly not least, DM Cain and Stewart Bint. Always there when you need them, whether it’s for advice, proofreading or just to talk, you can rely on them. And I’ll never take it for granted. It always amazes me how much time and effort they put inti the world of writing, while living such full and busy lives. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Now, only a few months later, we have hundreds of authors in our group and our first anthology will see the light of day this November. It’s great to see how these things work. The #IndieBooksBeSeen movement, set up by the wonderful Mark Shaw, is another example of how things can take a spin and really achieve something.

It’s not always easy, this whole world of (self-) promotion. When is it too much? Or, as some people claim, is it never too much?

My promotion campaign would be nowhere without the aid of those wonderful people I refer to as the ‘reviewers’. Some are authors themselves, some blog, some are on YouTube, some do all of the above. And I feel very lucky to know some of the best. To name but a few; RC Bean, Janet Emson, Erin’s Choice, Victoria Loves Books, and a special mention to Benjaminoftomes, who supported me from the beginning. Without reviewers, we authors would be nowhere. They are like our oxygen. Without it, we can’t live or breathe. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

On that note of self-promotion…. Coincidentally (there was nothing coincidental about it, just careful planning, I confess) my new booktrailer for The Elemental saw the light of day as well. Now how to make a YouTube trailer go viral? That’s a tough order. One can always ask for help though. So that’s what I’m doing. Be a dear and like the trailer. Yes, liking this post is also nice, but it won’t help the trailer. So please like the trailer. Leaving comments will also help. Good or bad. It doesn’t matter. I learned a long time ago that bad publicity is also publicity 😉
Sharing the trailer, obviously. You’ll have my undying devotion. Anywhere will be fine. I’m very curious to see how far it can go. Help me out? Pretty please? Love you so much! Okay, enough with the sucking up.
Without further ado, the trailer. Drumroll please…..

So, life as an author with a publishing house is pretty exciting. I feel very fortonate to have such wonderful team members.

Elizabeth, my book manager, is always there when I need her feedback and we’re now going back and forth over a possible release date.

Waiting can be a hard thing to do. To release it too soon, may damage my marketing options. Yes, yes, these are things to be considered now. My book is set round Samhuinn, more commenly known by it’s American counterpart, Halloween. So the end of October would be kind of perfect.
All the time in the world to set things up, get some teasers out there in the build up to Samhuinn and then release it to the world.

But, October! I mean, I actually have to scroll down on my calender to reach it. It’s so far away! Nonsense of course, time flies and there’s plenty of things to be done. Like, I don’t know, finish the second book or something *coughs*.

We’re a little ahead of our time-schedule, but not quite enough to make Midsummer, which was another serious option. At least, I think we won’t make it. Printing will take at least a month and not everything is done yet.

So, all in all, a lot of signs are telling me to be patient, to wait. I know a lot of my author friends are in the same predicament right now. And I’m sure everybody has been in a situation where you have asked yourself: wait, or not wait? Which is the wiser option?

Tell me, what are your thoughts? What would you do? Or, what did you do? Would love to hear from you!

As Beltane is fast approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to give some attention to a slightly more ‘steamy’ book. After all, this is the time of passion, fertility, the union between the god and goddess. My author friend S.E. Rise is not only a superb horror author, but also quite adept in the erotica genre.

It is my great pleasure and honour to reveal his new cover for Simmering! So without further ado, here it is, folks! I’m getting flushed cheeks just by looking at it!

Blurb

Who would you rather find in your bedroom, a steamy hose-wielding fireman or a dangerously obsessed ex-boyfriend? What if you found both? Romance writer Allison Fairchild is growing frustrated with her first attempt at Erotica until she reads a well-timed magazine article. What working man makes the best lover? The article sparks an idea and her eyes are irresistibly drawn to the top-ranked firemen just across the street. It might be coincidence or driven by fate but it is all the motivation she needs.

Ali has herself assigned to a firehouse and is committed to doing her job; getting incredible sex stories from actual firefighters and, in the process, try not to become one. At least that’s her intention until she meets the Captain, a by-the-rules professional with an enticing off-duty wild streak. Ali and the Captain put their wills to the test to resist the chemistry heating up between them. But unbeknownst to Ali, her cheating ex-boyfriend has set his eyes upon her again and if he can’t have her, no one can.

Will Ali break “the rules” with the Captain before she can finish the book or will her ex’s frightening obsession inevitably destroy them all?

Booktrope Publishing- Republished Date May 16, 2015

About the author

S.E. Rise attended Austin Peay State University on a Track scholarship. Later in life, he became a captain of an ALS ambulance. On his off time he enjoys salmon fishing and strives in achieving the impossible. He has the ability to find four leaf clovers with the simplest of ease. They pop out at him and that’s why he sees them. He now lives in Alaska with his wife and two children. In 2007 he published his first novel and he continues to write gripping and enticing stories, leaving his readers breathless.